Gosger Makes 4-Year-Old Debut at Gulfstream Following Preakness Stakes Run

Gosger heads into Saturday afternoon's two-turn allowance at Gulfstream Park carrying the weight of two near-misses in Grade I company and the quiet confidence of a connections team that believes the best is still ahead.

The Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stable homebred, by Nyquist out of Gloria S. (Tapit) and a half-brother to Grade I winner Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah), runs in a two-turn allowance with an option to enter for a $125,000 claiming tag. It marks his third consecutive season opener at Gulfstream, a track where he has demonstrated genuine affinity. He broke his maiden there going one mile in February 2025 during the Championship Meet, a win that came after a second-place finish in a six-furlong maiden special weight the prior December.

What followed that maiden win was one of the more compelling 3-year-old campaigns of 2025. Gosger took the GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes in just his third career start for trainer Brendan Walsh, then carried that momentum straight into the Preakness Stakes, where he looked like the winner deep in the stretch before Journalism produced what can only be described as an other-worldly finish to catch him at the wire. He skipped the Belmont Stakes but came back as a 6-1 shot in the GI Haskell Invitational, where the script repeated itself almost word for word: Gosger led late, and Journalism ran him down again.

Two Grade I runner-up finishes behind the same horse in the same season would deflate most conversations. Walsh won't let it.

"He had a super year even though he got beat, especially in the two races. The Preakness obviously was very close, and the Haskell," Walsh said. "It was a great thrill to have been as competitive as we were in races like that. It's a shame that he couldn't have won one or the other, but it was no reflection on him. He left it all out on the track both times. It was a great thrill. It's great to be involved in those Triple Crown races."

Saturday's start is framed as a foundation, not a destination. Walsh isn't pointing to a specific target down the road yet, but his expectations for this horse in 2026 are clearly elevated.

"Obviously he ran twice at Gulfstream and ran very well on the track. We don't have to ship him anywhere. We're just looking for a good run. Hopefully he can run well and give us something to build on going forward," Walsh said. "Hopefully he gives a good account of himself."

The familiarity with Gulfstream matters here. Gosger knows the track, Walsh knows what the horse can do on it, and Clarke Racing Stable has a homebred who has already proven he belongs in the sport's biggest moments. A clean effort in a two-turn allowance won't settle any scores from 2025, but it sets the table for what Walsh is building toward in the months ahead.